Good question Abe. I have been reloading for quite a number of years for many diverse calibers and have generally found that for almost any of them and at any power levels that my best accuracy has been acheived with the lowest standard deviation. Sometimes this has been as high as 20 fps difference. Most standarsd calibers will begin high s.d. with hot loads approaching maximum but many magnum loads show small s.d. with the hottest loads. I am currently working with the 30-378 in a nice Savage rifle and my smallest s.d has been with near max. loads. There are many variables that influence s.d but I have found one of the most important is to use the powder which will most completely fill the case and give the results desired. When I load I will sometimes shirk on f.p.s. to obtain the best standard deviation. Hope I have added some usefull info.